Feeding Logic 9 with MPC 4000 Samples

hey guys,
im a little bit confused

for over one year now i have my mpc 4000 and try to master this beautiful machine.
until now i mainly sampled at 16 bit/ 44,1 k because it sounded perfect for me.

but now i want to make my first little project and im thinking about switching up to 24bit/96k because i have now upgraded to logic 9 and i'm just wondering if the timestrech is much better with 24bit than with 16bit. i actually tested it myself, but i really can't hear much difference. besides with 24bit i can EQ more stuff.

the only thing i hear is that the sound is "deeper" and i have more top noise.

is there really a big difference?

i've read you topic about the mpc 5000 stuff and the 16 bit vs 24 bit stuff. but that confused me more than it helped me


my workflow looks like this:

i sample with my mpc 4000 and a vestax pdx 3000. then i chop the samples up rearrange them or whatever. and import these audio files into logic where i edit them with flex time.

my idea is a little bit of the avalanches mixing (over 10 different samples layered) mixed with some synth and that stuff.


has anyone experience with flex time and 24 bit. is it really much better with 24 bit?


sorry for my shitty english. im a bloody german

regards
addi307

The higher bitrate/sample rate can be useful if you are doing lots of effect processing, because it's like you have more margin of error...the more you have to work with, the more work you can do.

That being said, if 16/44.1 sounds fine to you, then use it. Talking about numbers has little to do with the act of enjoying music.

thx for your answer. yeah thats one thing in favor of 24 bit. the problem i dont know how much i do signal processing in terms of effects and all that stuff. i know that i have to EQ alot.

maybe its the best to sample everything in 24 bit and then i resample it in the mpc to 16 to have both resolutions an i decide from case to case( i dont know if you can say it like that )

is the resampling of the mpc good or should i resample it in logic with dithering?

best regards

never ever ever resample in the mpc. it's about the slowest function the machine can do, and all it is going to give you is more sampling time.

my suggestion - keep your samples in logic, use the logic sampler, and just use the mpc as a sequencer....turn the quantise off in logic, but do all the programming on the mpc then record midi into logic.

nogginj wrote:never ever ever resample in the mpc. it's about the slowest function the machine can do, and all it is going to give you is more sampling time.

my suggestion - keep your samples in logic, use the logic sampler, and just use the mpc as a sequencer....turn the quantise off in logic, but do all the programming on the mpc then record midi into logic.

i always thought the mpc sampler is better than the exs.

yeah hmmmm i dont know.
is resampling just slow or is it also bad? i mean time is not everything

but dude i have a wonerful mpc 4000 and i should just use it as a midi controller? that hurts a lot

i should tell you that i have maschine to control my exs

thanx a lot for your replies!

sample into the mpc, then use your digital outs or usb to track/transfer files. you want to minimse the number of digital/analogue analogue/digital conversions.

beach_break wrote:sample into the mpc, then use your digital outs or usb to track/transfer files. you want to minimse the number of digital/analogue analogue/digital conversions.

yeah thats what im doing at the moment. is sample and via usb i put it right into logic.

the 4000 would not be just a midi controller, it would be a sequencer.

The mpcs were sequencers first, samplers second, so yes, I do seriously think the sampler in logic might be better than in your mpc.

Still, I would not waste time resampling in the MPC. Even if you keep everything in the mpc and just track out to logic, resample the final mix, not the individual samples.

okay thanks a lot.
i will try it like this.

the only problem i have is i cant use samples with different resolutions in logic, but i'll find some ways.

i cant use samples with different resolutions in logic

I just loaded a 16 bit and a 24 bit wave file into the same sampler instance, no problem.

Logic does not handle 32 bit though. I am using Logic 8.

nogginj wrote:

i cant use samples with different resolutions in logic

I just loaded a 16 bit and a 24 bit wave file into the same sampler instance, no problem.

Logic does not handle 32 bit though. I am using Logic 8.

yeah i mean, when you import a 24 bit audio file into a 16bit project, then the 24 bit audio file will be stretched.

I think you are misinformed...

How do you set a projects bit depth in logic? I have never seen this...it's always just whatever wav file I use...it uses that resolution. I am unaware of a 'per project' bit setting.

I also just verified this, I have a 24bit and a 16bit file next to each other in the same track, and both sound ok.

When you say 'stretch' it makes me think you are talking about sample rate, anyway - not bit depth. I can't imagine Logic not supporting differing sample-rates, either, though I'm not gonna verify this right now.

I suggest you get in there and try it and give Logic a chance - it sounds like it is much more useful and powerful than you are aware of.

nogginj wrote:The higher bitrate/sample rate can be useful if you are doing lots of effect processing, because it's like you have more margin of error...the more you have to work with, the more work you can do.

That being said, if 16/44.1 sounds fine to you, then use it. Talking about numbers has little to do with the act of enjoying music.

Best answer.. just do you. If you dont know what 24 and 16 sound like sonicly in a mix.. then it dont matter. Side note.. your making sampling more complicated than it should be. Esx24 them..use the sample editor to setpoints.. drop into mpc. Time stretch in there.

nogginj wrote:
When you say 'stretch' it makes me think you are talking about sample rate, anyway - not bit depth. I can't imagine Logic not supporting differing sample-rates, either, though I'm not gonna verify this right now.

I suggest you get in there and try it and give Logic a chance - it sounds like it is much more useful and powerful than you are aware of.

yeah thats happening when your english is bad.
i meant samples rates not bit depth.

you are definetly right. i have to use logic more and get into depth. and i will do that.

I didn't for a second think you had poor english, actually. Yours is pretty good. Sample rate vs Bit Depth is a very common mistake that a lot of english speakers make, as well.

Just trying to help clarify.

Good luck.